The four-lane tunnel is constructed under the active Northern Southern Railroad Tracks - also used by Amtrak - applying a pioneering placement method, in which the tunnel sections are being jacked into place. After construction the tunnel is going to improve traffic flow in one of the busiests roads of the area.
For the constructon of the tunnel, two cast-in-place concrete sections, both 32 ft wide x 20 ft high x 130 ft long are jacked into an embankment right underneath the railroad tracks. Six hydraulic jacks, each of 1,680,000lb pulling capacity, are attached to a 12 ft wide, 4 ft thick, and 22 ft tall reaction wall and pull the tunnel boxes into place using a network of steel tendons. The steel tendons are predrilled in HDPE casings. To cut through the soil,the edges of the boxes are equiped with 1in. thick steel plate cutting shields, while bentonite slury is injected through ports at the tunnel walls, during pulling operation. After placing both sections, the reaction wall will be demolished and retaining walls will be constructed at both tunnel ends.
Jerry Falwell Jr. the Liberty University presindent said: "It's really rare that something that's never happened before in North America is happening in Lynchburg, Va. It's really exciting!".
The first tunnel is already in place and the second part will be in place in early 2014.
Sources: Tunnel Business Magazine , ASCE Civil Engineering magazine
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